Prof. Tamara Small, Department of Political Science, spoke to the National Post about the viability of the People’s Party of Canada, which fared poorly in this week’s federal election.

Small commented that most Canadians take the idea of multiculturalism seriously — at least in English Canada — and the PPC, headed by former Conservative Maxime Bernier, may have pursued a brand of populism that was too extreme.

Small also said that given how little support the party had, it received more news coverage than it deserved.

“I can’t think of a party in recent history that has polled at less than 3 per cent that got the amount of attention that he got, frankly,” she said.

Small is interested in many aspects of politics, including the influence of image in Canadian politics, as well as political parties’ use of the internet for campaigning. She also researches the regulatory framework for digital technologies in Canadian elections.